Writing for Business Success/Understanding your audience/Perception

“	What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.	”
—C.S. Lewis

Reading

Read Section 3.2: Perception, in Saylor Academy (Ed.) 2012. Business Communication for Success. (See page(s) 90 - 104 in PDF version.).

This reading describes ways in which personal perspectives or viewpoints influence how people select, organise, and interpret information. Effective communication depends on how well we adapt messages to audience perspectives. Awareness of what your audiences think is relevant, and of contextual 'noise' or interference that can influence perception, will help you design more effective messages. Finding common ground between your message and your audience's expectations is a good first step to help you engage attention and interest.

In face-to-face speaking contexts, audience body language is a good clue to how well your message is being received. In online communication, audience response cues may only be visible in text content, tone, number of responses, or just ‘likes.’

Reflection

1. Think of different ways to describe something you know, such as what your home or workplace looks like. Organise the information using one of the Gestalt principles (e.g., proximity, similarity, continuity, or closure). How did this help you with your description?
2. Think of a time when you jumped to a conclusion and later learned that it was incorrect. Write a summary (200-250 words) of the experience. What did you learn from this?

Add your reflections to your learning journal.

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